The Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) has accepted settlement offers from Chesapeake Energy Corp. and J-W Operating Co. on compliance matters related to natural gas well development that the commission regulates in a portion of the Marcellus Shale.

In the compliance settlement agreements, Chesapeake agreed to pay $3,000 for failing to submit a required water metering plan for a drilling site in Susquehanna County, PA. J-W Operating is paying the SRBC $40,000 after spudding two wells in Cameron County, PA, without obtaining approval.

Commissioners also approved funding two natural gas-related research projects. In one project, $135,000 would be spent to evaluate the accuracy of using reference stream gauges to estimate pass-by flow conditions at proposed withdrawal points where no stream gauges are associated. Another $174,560 is to be spent for aquatic resource surveys to determine potential impacts associated with approved water withdrawals.

The SRBC also approved nine applications for water resources projects, including several by gas producers. The approved projects to be used to develop and complete gas wells and the water tributaries affected include:

The Harrisburg, PA-based SRBC manages the water resources of the Susquehanna River Basin, which regulates some development within the Marcellus Shale in parts of New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The Susquehanna River starts in Cooperstown, NY, and flows 444 miles to Havre de Grace, MD, where the river meets the Chesapeake Bay.